Two people have been diagnosed with monkeypox in London, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed.
The pair live in the same household and are not linked to another person who was diagnosed with the disease in England earlier this month.
The viral infection is similar to human smallpox and usually causes mild illness, with most people recovering within a few weeks.
One of the latest people to test positive is being treated at the expert infectious diseases unit at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London.
However, the other person is isolating and does not require hospital treatment, the UKHSA said.
Dr Colin Brown, director of clinical and emerging infections at the UKHSA, said: ‘We have confirmed two new monkeypox cases in England that are not linked to the case announced on May 7…”
Adding that the infection “does not spread easily between people and requires close personal contact” with someone who is symptomatic.
Initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
A rash can develop, which changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.